Red Surf 

Editor: We are looking at Robert Sammelin’s "Red Surf," a poster that feels incredibly reminiscent of comic books and pop art. The figures seem caught in a moment of high tension, almost melodramatic. What’s your initial reaction to the composition here? Curator: Formally, it's an interesting convergence of visual planes and implied action. Note the division of space. The upper register depicts heightened emotional states via expressive character studies; consider how this contrasts with the flattened, graphic treatment of the film's title occupying much of the lower register. What relationship do you see between those two spatial realms, and how does color articulate that connection? Editor: I notice the fiery reds and oranges up top giving way to cooler blues toward the bottom. It’s like the emotion fuels the action, pushing them forward, especially in contrast to the hard blocky text in blues and turquoise at the bottom. I hadn’t thought of it that way, that color delineates that narrative push, which brings forward the suggestion of an underlying semiotic structure within this pictorial format, from emotion to plot, articulated chromatically. Curator: Precisely. Also consider the layering, this almost collage-like quality achieved through juxtaposing various styles of illustration, which speaks to Postmodern self-awareness of artifice that we might also tie to similar tendencies in Postmodern filmic structures. Editor: It makes you look beyond the surface, think about the visual vocabulary itself and what it’s meant to evoke. That’s helpful; thanks for pointing that out! Curator: Indeed; such close readings remind us to examine our own modes of perception when viewing an artwork.